GB2585701A

GB2585701A - Combined cool storage and heating device

Info

Publication number: GB2585701A
Application number: GB1910036.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Wylie Nicolas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-07-11
Filing date: 2019-07-12
Publication date: 2021-01-20
Anticipated expiration: 2039-07-12
Also published as: GB2585701A8; GB2585701B8; GB201910036D0; GB2585701B; GB201909959D0

Abstract

A combined cool storage and heating device 10 has a cooled compartment 12, a heated compartment 14 and at least one thermoelectric module 16 used to transfer heat from the cooled compartment to the heated compartment. The thermoelectric module may be a Peltier module that can be disposed within a facilities compartment 28 between the heated and cooled chambers, the facilities chamber itself being able to be depressurised to below atmospheric pressure. The Peltier module can be used to generate electricity based on the temperature gradient between the hot and cold sides. A method of regulating temperature in a combined cool storage and heating device using a thermoelectric device is also claimed.

Description

COMBINED COOL STORAGE AND HEATING DEVICE

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to combined cool storage and heating devices.

Background to the Invention

It is known to store food and drink in a refrigerator. In domestic situations refrigerators are typically located in a kitchen. Usually a kitchen will also include a cooker, which may be used to provide heat for cooking or reheating pre-cooked food. Such devices are entirely separate of one another.

Domestic refrigerators typically rely on a phase change process in which a suitable refrigerant is pumped around a circuit. As the refrigerant is moved around the circuit its pressure is changed to cause it to switch between its vapour and liquid states. The circuit includes a heat exchanger located on the outside of the refrigerator so that as the heated vapour passes through it, heat can be rejected to the surrounding atmosphere. At best, this heat is wasted. In some confined locations, the heat build-up around the heat exchanger may even adversely affect the performance of the refrigerator.

Summary of the Invention

The invention provides a combined cool storage and heating device as specified in claim 1 The invention also includes a kitchen installation comprising a combined cool storage and heating installation as specified in the last preceding paragraph.

The invention also includes a method of heating and cooling a cooled compartment and a heated compartment as specified in claim 11.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In order that the invention may be well understood, some examples thereof, which are given by way of example only, will now be described with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a combined cool storage and heating device

Detailed Description

Referring to Figure 1, a combined cool storage and heating device 10 comprises a cooled compartment 12, a heated compartment 14 and two thermoelectric modules 16. Each thermoelectric module 16 has a cold side 18 via which heat is drawn from the cooled compartment 12 and a hot side 20 via which heat is rejected into the heated compartment 14.

The heated and cooled compartments 12, 14 may be defined by a casing 22. The casing 22 is provided with partitions 24, 26, which separate the two compartments 12, 14 and are spaced apart to define a facilities compartment 28 disposed intermediate the heated and cooled compartments. Each of the heated and cooled compartments 12, 14 has an access opening and is provided with a closure 30 by means of which the access opening can be closed in a sealed manner. Although not limited to this example, the closures 30 may be doors that are hinge connected to the casing 22. The casing 22 may be of any suitable shape and construction for the desired capacity or the space available for a fitted unit. The casing 22 may be made of a metal or plastics material or a combination thereof Although not shown, suitable shelves, sub-compartments and the like may be provided in the cooled and heated compartments 12, 14 as required.

The casing 22 comprises insulation 32 to inhibit, or prevent, the ingress of heat to the cooled compartment 12 and loss of heat from the heated compartment 14. The facilities compartment 28 is vacuum sealed and evacuated to provide increased thermal insulation between the cooled and heated compartments 12, 14. This is not essential and in other examples, the facilities compartment 28 may be filled or coated with an insulating material to inhibit, or prevent, the ingress of heat to the cooled compartment 12 and loss of heat from the heated compartment 14 through the facilities compartment.

Similarly, instead of providing insulation 32 in the outer walls of the casing 22, or in conjunction with insulation 32, the casing 22 may define one or more chambers that are vacuum sealed and evacuated to prevent the loss of heat and ingress of heat through the casing, Each thermoelectric module 16 comprises at least one heat sink 34 and the or each heat sink defines the hot side 20. One or more fans 36 are provided to blow air over the heat sink or heat sinks 34 The or each fan 36 may be integral with a thermoelectric module as shown in Figure 1, or mounted separately in the heated compartment 14 and arranged to blow air over a thermoelectric module 16 to distribute the rejected heat into the heated compartment. Thus, the heat radiated by the heat sinks 34 may be more evenly distributed in the heated compartment 14 Each thermoelectric module 16 further comprises at least one metallic plate 38 that defines the cold side 18. The or each metallic plate 38 may, for example, be made of aluminium or an aluminium alloy. In some examples, instead of a metallic plate, a plate made of some other thermally conducting material, for example a ceramic, may be used. In some examples, one or more electric fans (not shown) may be provided in the cooled compartment to create air movement and so provide improved cooling.

Each of the thermoelectric modules 16 comprises a Peltier module 40 is disposed intermediate the hot and cold sides 18, 20 to move heat from the cold side to the hot side. In this example, the respective Peltier modules 40 are directly connected to the cold plates 38 and heat sinks 34 and are disposed in the facilities compartment 28.

Typically, a heat conducting paste or the like is applied to the respective interfaces between the Peltier modules 40 and the associated metallic plates 38 and heat sinks 34 to ensure a good thermal bond for efficient transfer of heat from the cold side 18 to the hot side 20 A control and DC power supply unit 50 may be disposed in the facilities compartment 28 to control operation of the combined cool storage and heating device 10 and distribute electric power to the Peltier modules 40 The control and power supply unit 50 may comprise a suitable form of electric charge storage device 52, or may be powered from a mains electrical supply or external battery. Thus, for example, the control and power supply unit 50 may be connected with a power socket 54 to receive power from a suitable transformer plug (not shown). Alternatively, the control and power supply unit 50 may comprise suitable conditioning circuitry for converting power from an AC power supply to a suitable DC voltage to power the Peltier modules or charge an electric charge storage device 52. The electric charge storage device 52 may comprise a battery or supercapacitor.

The control and power supply unit 50 may comprise a processor or dedicated control circuitry and may be connected to an on/off switch 58 and respective thermostats 60 provided in the cooled and heated compartments 12, 14. The control and power supply unit 50 may incorporate a timer. It is to be understood that although the control and power supply unit 50 is described and shown herein as one unit, this is not essential and it may be made up of separate circuits, components or sub-assemblies that are suitably connected as required.

In some examples, the control and power supply unit 50 may be configured to switch the thermoelectric modules 16 between a heating and cooling mode in which the Peltier modules 40 are supplied with electricity to cause them to move heat from the cooled compartment 12 to the heated compartment 14 and a generating mode in which the supply of electricity is interrupted and the Peltier modules generate an electric current as they move heat from the heated compartment to the cooled compartment. This functionality may be used to provide a control strategy in which the Peltier modules 40 are switched between the two modes to regulate the temperature in the cooled and heated compartments 12. 14. Switching may be based on signals from the thermostats 60. Alternatively, the combined cool storage and heating device 10 may be provided with other forms of temperature sensor disposed in the cooled and heated compartments 12, 14 and the control and power supply unit 50 may comprise a processor or processing circuity configured to cause switching between the two operating modes based on temperature indicating signals received from the temperature sensors. The combined cool storage and heating device 10 may be provided with a user interface to allow a user to enter heating and cooling parameters used to control operation of the combined cool storage and heating device.

In the illustrated example, the combined cool storage and heating device is shown having two thermoelectric modules 16. It is to be understood that this is not to be taken as limiting A combined cool storage and heating device may comprise only one thermoelectric module or more than two thermoelectric modules as required. Furthermore, a thermoelectric module 16 may comprise a single Peltier module 40 or a plurality of connected Peltier modules. The stacking of the Peltier modules to provide enhanced performance is known to those skilled in the art and so will not be described in detail herein A combined cool storage and heating device may be a standalone unit configured for portability or configured for installation as a fitted unit in a kitchen. A combined cool storage and heating device designed for installation as a fitted unit in a kitchen may be configured to fit an industry standard footprint.

I 0 Although not limited to such uses, it is envisaged that the cooled compartment 12 may be used for food storage for preserving and cooling food while the heated compartment 14 may be used for at least one of defrosting, warming, heating or cooking food.

It will be understood that the combined cool storage and heating device allows use to be made of the heat withdrawn from the cooled compartment and moved to the heated compartment by the thermoelectric modules, together with any heat generated within thermoelectric module of that would otherwise be wasted to atmosphere. Thus, the thermoelectric module functions as both a cooler cooling the cooled compartment and a heater heating the heated compartment. Furthermore, by suitable switching, a thermoelectric module may be switched from a heating and cooling mode into an electricity generating mode. In the electricity generating mode, the electric supply to the thermoelectric module is switched off and due to the temperature differential between the hot and cold sides of the thermoelectric module, electricity is generated. In examples of combined cool storage and heating devices that comprise a plurality of thermoelectric modules, there may be operating conditions in which some of the modules are used to move heat from the cooled compartment to the heated compartment and one or more is switched to electricity generating mode. Some examples may even include therm oel ectri c modules configures solely for operation as electricity generators.

For some examples, the combined cool storage and heating device may be powered by electricity generated by one or more solar panels. Thus, for example, a portable unit may be connected with one or more solar panels that generate electricity to power the thermoelectric module or modules, Advantageously, aside from the or each fan, the heating and cooling system of the combined cool storage and heating device may have no moving parts and as a result the maintenance requirements should be minimal In principle the combined cool storage and heating device may be used for any application that calls for the provision of cooling and heating.

Claims

Claims I. A combined cool storage and heating device comprising a cooled compartment, a heated compartment and a thermoelectric module having a cold side via which heat is drawn from said cooled compartment and a hot side via which heat is released into said heated compartment, wherein said thermoelectric module is operable to cool said cooled compartment by transferring heat from said cooled compartment to said heated compartment.
2. A combined cool storage and heating device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a fan, wherein said thermoelectric module comprises at least one heat sink defining said hot side and said fan is arranged to circulate air in said heated compartment to distribute said released heat into said heated compartment.
3. A combined cool storage and heating device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said thermoelectric module comprises at least one thermally conducting plate that defines said cold side and said at least one thermally conducting plate is disposed in said cooled compartment.
4. A combined cool storage and heating device as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising insulation to thermally insulate the cooled and heated compartments.
5. A combined cool storage and heating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a DC power supply for the thermoelectric module.
6. A combined cool storage and heating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said thermoelectric module comprises at least one Peltier module disposed intermediate said hot and cold sides to transfer heat from said cold side to said hot side.
7. A combined cool storage and heating device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said at least one Peltier Module is disposed in a facilities compartment disposed intermediate said cooled compartment and said heated compartment.
8. A combined cool storage and heating device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said facilities compartment is depressurised to a sub-atmospheric pressure.
9. A combined cool storage and heating device as claimed in claim 6, 7 or 8, further comprising a controller configured to switch said at least one Peltier module between a heating and cooling mode in which the at least one Peltier module transfers heat from the cooled compartment to the heated compartment and an electricity generating mode in which a temperature gradient between said hot and cold sides causes the at least one Peltier module to generate electricity.
A kitchen installation comprising a combined cool storage and heating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.
11. A method of heating and cooling a cooled compartment and a heated compartment, said method comprising connecting a thermoelectric module between said cooled and heated compartments, connecting an electricity supply to the thermoelectric module to cause the thermoelectric module to transfer heat from the cooled compartment to the heated compartment and regulating the temperature in said cooled and heated compartments by selectively interrupting said electricity supply to cause said thermoelectric module to transfer heat from said heated compartment to said cooled compartment.
12 A method of heating and cooling a cooled compartment and a heated compartment as claimed in claim 11, further comprising collecting electricity generated by said thermoelectric module when said electricity supply is interrupted and collecting said electricity in an electric charge storage device.
13 A method of heating and cooling a cooled compartment and a heated compartment as claimed in claim 12, further comprising selectively connecting said electric charge storage device to said thermoelectric module to power said thermoelectric module to cause said thermoelectric module to transfer said heat from said cooled compartment to said heated compartment.